NBL Standings 1. Urban K. 19-3 2. Slayers 17-5 3. Denham T. W. 17-5 4. Tivoli All-Stars 16-6 5. Arnett G. 11-11 6. L. All-Stars 10-12 7. Blazing P. 10-12 8. Portmore F. 8-14 9. Runnin R. 7-14 10. JDF 7-15 11. Harbour V.L. 6-16 12. Rainbow S. 3-18

Slayers won NBL Championship 2006

   Slayers repeat as NBL Champions
It wasn’t supposed to be this easy, but St. George’s Slayers don’t mind. The much anticipated bMobile/KFC National Basketball League finals had an anticlimactic ending, much to the disappointment of the many fans who showed up at the National Indoor Sports Centre over the weekend to support their teams. Slayers, after a very unstable regular season, got their act together in time, and beat Urban Knights twice in two days to keep the Patrick Ewing trophy they won last season.

Close but no cigars
Knights appeared ready for battle on Friday evening and it showed from the tipoff. They swiftly took a 22-13 first quarter lead, and extended it to 44-32 at the half. As expected, Slayers were off to their usual lethargic start, and it could have been worse had it not been for Andree Wilson and Rohan Robinson, who kept them within striking distance. Knights continued to dominate in the third, as the duo of Linton Murray and Andy Smith kept hitting timely baskets. At the end, Slayers cut the lead to eight (66-58), but you could not help but feel that the game was far from over. As a matter of fact, the question was not if Slayers would come back, but how soon. To complicate matters, center Damion Gardner was done for the night as he fouled out in the third quarter. The comeback was swift, as Slayers drew level (66-66) with 6:36 to go. In this battle of wills, the game came down to who wanted it more. Knights took a 74-71 advantage but Slayers came back to even the score 77-77 with just 1:30 left. Wilson would not let his team lose, and put Slayers in front for the first time 79-77 with just 0:16 seconds left on the game clock. At the line for two free throws, the fans chanted “MVP, MVP” as Wilson sank both shots. Slayers were never headed and went on to score another come-from-behind victory (84-81) for a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series. Wilson led the champions with 25 points and 17 rebounds while Robinson added 17 points. Murray with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Smith with 16 points and 14 rebounds led Knights.

Too tough
The bad news for Knights was that they had less than 24 hours to regroup, or their season would come to an abrupt end. Obviously, one day was not enough. How else could one explain their abysmal fourth quarter performance on Saturday? Knights looked promising early and held Slayers to only six first quarter points while scoring 14. It got even worse for Slayers in the second, as they found themselves on the wrong side of a 17-point lead, as Knights refused to wilt. They went into halftime a confident bunch while holding a 32-18 lead. After an even third quarter, Knights went into the fourth still sporting a double-digit lead and looking a lot stronger than the night before. Coach Winston Harvey opened the fourth quarter with a big line up featuring swingman Kali McCarthy at the point, Wilson at the two guard, Robinson at the small forward, Dwayne Goulbourne at power forward, and Gary Cummings in the center. This quintet was just what the doctor ordered. They ignited an unbelievable 34-2 quarter (no, this is not a misprint) and totally overpowered Knights. They allowed their rivals only one basket (two points) which, although unconfirmed, has got to be some sort of NBL record. With the wheels falling off one by one, Knights were reduced to clock-watchers, as they prayed for the final buzzer to sound. Once the buzzer sounded, a dejected looking Knights left the court, while the champions celebrated their 2-0 sweep and the fact that the championship trophy will remain in their possession for at least one more year. Robinson was the high scorer for Slayers with 21 points. McCarthy, who had been deputizing at various positions throughout the playoffs, added 16 points, and Wilson contributed 13 points and 14 rebounds to bring his totals in both games to 38 points and 31 rebounds. Not surprisingly, he was unanimously selected as the MVP of the series, and deservingly so.

Wizards snatch third place
In the third place game, Denham Town Wizards defeated Tivoli All Stars 73-58 behind 14 points from Dwayne Harris and 14 points and 10 rebounds by Carl Wellington. Damian Young netted a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds for Tivoli, while Jermaine Peart added 13 points.